Egyptians in battle against the Nubians

The wooden chest found in Tutankhamun’s antechamber is a striking testament to the young pharaoh’s warrior image. Across its painted surfaces, Tutankhamun is portrayed in full martial splendour, crowned with the blue khepresh crown of war, standing proudly in his chariot, bow drawn and arrows ready, galloping across the battlefield as his richly attired horses trample the disordered and discombobulated ranks of Nubian foes.

The scene is vivid and visceral, Tutankhamun is accompanied by his hunting dogs, their collars gleaming as they seize Nubians by the head, while Egyptian soldiers clash amid a pile of broken bodies. Looking closely, you can even see one Nubian’s severed head with crimson blood dripping, presenting a chillingly horrifying scene in illustrated form.

This martial motif is no isolated flourish. Egyptian kings frequently campaigns against Nubia to secure control over its valuable resources; gold mines, trade routes, and a source of slaves and tribute. Such victories reinforced royal prestige and ensured economic stability. What is remarkable in Tutankhamun’s chest is the brutal realism: bodies contorted under chariot wheels, facial expressions of pain, even decapitation.

This echoes depictions on royal temples where enemy hands were counted as trophies; a visual assurance of conquest, as seen in depictions from his own mortuary temple.

Intriguingly, while Tutankhamun is often remembered as frail, the battle imagery offers a very different portrait, one of a capable and courageous leader. Indeed, recent research suggests the chest’s scenes are part of a larger programme to craft a heroic image, perhaps meant to rival his renowned predecessors, perhaps propagandist. However, they showcase the brutalities of warfare in the ancient world, and tell us how the rulers of Egypt wanted to be depicted; in triumph against their enemies, with ferocious depictions of their achievements.

These striking images were painted on a wooden chest, adorned with images of the young king in his chariot, trampling enemies such as Nubians and Syrians, with hunting scenes adorning the lid. Inside, Howard Carter discovered not clothing but personal regalia: sandals, a finely woven tunic (possibly a cult robe), necklaces, a headrest, and a belt; objects associated with ritual or ceremonial use rather than daily garments

In other chests in the tomb, indeed, folded textiles (tunics, loincloths, even socks) were found, but this particular chest held only accoutrements of kingship. Therefore, it is possible this chest (sometimes referred to as the “painted casket”) served a ceremonial or semi-ceremonial function in life, and it could have stood in a palace dressing room or private chamber, housing the young king’s personal regalia, holding items associated not with everyday wear but with formal occasions, cultic observances, or royal appearances. Despite the decor of the chest, within the chest were items not associated with tools of war, but of royal identity and presentation.